Want to Crack CAT 2014 with 99 percentile: Accuracy & time Mgmt is the key; Namita Kapaley

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MBAUniverse.com News Desk |
September 4, 2014
In the series of CAT Topper 2013 we present the success story of Namita Kapaley who scored 98.8 in CAT. MBAUniverse.com has brought a round of CAT Topper 2013 success stories for the benefit of CAT 2014 aspirants.
"It is important to cover all topics in the first level of preparation and concentrate on your strong areas, in the run up to the exam."

MBAUniverse.com has brought a round of CAT Topper 2013 success stories for the benefit of CAT 2014 aspirants. In this CAT Topper 2013 series we present the success story of Namita Kapaley, a CAT Topper who scored percentile of 98.8 in CAT 2013.

To help out CAT 2014 aspirants in their CAT exam preparation, MBAUniverse.com will introduce a CAT Topper 2013 every week on MBAUniverse.com Forum  where CAT 2014 aspirants can directly ask questions with CAT Toppers 2013.Our Fourth CAT Topper 2013 in this series is Ms. Namita Kapaley.

 

CAT 2014 Related Query : Instant Counsellor Chat

 

 

 

Namita Kapaley, an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer from Mumbai University aced the Common Admission Test 2013 to gain admission in the Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi. She scored an impressive 272 out of 450 in what is considered the country’s toughest management entrance test. She had previously been working with Colgate Global Business Services Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai as a Demand Chain Analyst. She is a fitness enthusiast, who loves to take part in marathons, and is a trained kick boxer.

 

We interviewed her to find out about her journey so far and how she managed to fulfill her dream of getting into one of India’s premier B-Schools. Below are given the excerpts of the interview.

 

Q.What was your prep strategy?

 

Namita, “I had appeared for CAT previously in 2012 and was familiar with the kind of questions asked. Solving the TIME test series helped in time management for the different sections in the exam. I focused on accuracy rather than the number of attempts and allocated some time for analysis of the attempted questions. Choice of questions matters a lot as getting stuck in an easy looking question and wasting time on it is detrimental to doing well. All in all, it is important to cover all topics in the first level of preparation and concentrate on your strong areas, in the run up to the exam.”

 

Q.Which exams did you appear? How did you prepare for them ? What score did you get?

 

Namita: “I had not appeared for any other exam due to a busy office schedule. I had scored 98.8 percentile in CAT”

 

Q.Which is the institute that you have decided to take admission and why?

 

Namita: “I chose IIM Ranchi, as it is the best among the newer IIMs in terms of the academic and cultural activities (like TEDxIIMRanchi), infrastructure and placements. I had quite a few fruitful interactions with the seniors and alumni during the city meets that helped me make my decision.”

 

Q. What was the strategy in testing room to attempt the question from different sections: Quantitative Ability & DI, Verbal Ability & LR?

 

Namita, “The question paper was calculation intensive and some DI sets included multiple tables. Quant questions were mediocre and some of them very straightforward. I went through almost all the questions in the initial few minutes and marked the easy looking and familiar ones. I was able to solve a DI set and 6-7 quant questions in the stipulated time. The number of attempts was less but I was sure about the accuracy.

 

In the VA and LR section, LR had a few easy sets that I solved first which gave a boost to my confidence. Then I moved to RCs where out of the 3 RC sets, I worked on 2 RC sets and left a complicated one. Rest of the VA was a mixed bag and by the end of the exam time, I had solved 22 of 30 questions.”

 

Q. How many GDPI did you take part in? What were your GD topics?

 

Namita: “I appeared for the GDPI process of SPJIMR, SJMSOM, IIM Kozhikode, IIM Shillong and IMT Ghaziabad. Most of these did not have a GD. IMT Ghaziabad’s GD had a case study discussion on planning of funds for an NGO through a webpage. The IIM K GD topic was ‘Politics and Honesty are strange bedfellows’.”

 

Q.The institutes that offered you admissions?

 

Namita: “I was waitlisted in IIM Shillong and IIM Trichy, and offered admission in IIM Ranchi, IIM Rohtak, IIM Raipur, IIM Udaipur, IIM Kashipur and IMT Ghaziabad.”

 

Q. Few questions that were asked to your during PI round?

 

Namita: “Other than the most common ‘Tell us about yourself’ and ‘Why MBA’, I was asked about my work experience, academics, strengths and hobbies. The questions were spread across topics such as ERP, SAP, Sales and Distribution, transaction codes, electronics basics, and mobile communication (ex GSM, 2G, 3G etc.) and current affairs.”

 

Q. What advice and tips you would like to share with the candidates preparing for CAT 2014?

 

Namita: “I would advise all those preparing for the CAT to be coolheaded and not to get burned out during preparations. They should focus on the quality of studies rather than the number of hours they put in. Analysis of mistakes done in mock tests is extremely essential and nothing beats regular practice. Sleep well the night before your exam and choose questions wisely on the exam day.”

 

Q.Your message to future MBA aspirants.

 

Namita, “Clearing CAT, or any MBA entrance exam, is only the first step. Be clear of the reasons for doing an MBA. A good package is not a good enough motivation. Be open to learning from everyone because in a B-School people younger than you might know some concepts better than you. Everybody brings something different to the table so respect the diversity and indulge in healthy networking.”

 

Q. Why did you want to do MBA?

 

Namita: “I worked with an FMCG company in the IT services domain. The role helped me understand the processes in my organization and after almost 3.5 years in IT, I was looking to move to the business side of things. The nature of work involving critical decision making, planning and keen insight of markets is challenging and intriguing and has always fascinated me. Moreover, an MBA would give me the freedom to venture into any domain of the business, not limiting myself to a single kind of profile. Lastly, the amount of experience I have gained coupled with a management degree would help me move into the functional domain.”

 

Related Link:

 

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Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more updates on CAT Topper 2013.